Battle Of Shunyi: Police Arrest Two Poachers!

After an evening of drama, tonight the Beijing police arrested two poachers on my local patch. Returning home at about 5pm I decided to go to the roof of my apartment block to scan for illegal mist nets. To my surprise there were two guys putting up nets in the same area as on Friday! It was just a few days after I discovered, and took down, some illegal mist nets and told the poacher that if I saw him again I would send his photo to the police. And yet here he was again, with a friend, in exactly the same spot. He can’t say he wasn’t warned!

After a quick phonecall the police were on their way and, this time, they would catch the poachers red-handed. One had a Japanese Sparrowhawk and, as I led the police to the spot, the poacher inadvertently walked straight towards us with his illegally caught bird of prey on his wrist. He was so shocked to see us that he froze, allowing one of the officers to grab him by the scruff of the neck. After a few choice words the poacher led the police to the mist nets and it was here that they apprehended, after a brief attempt to flea, the second poacher. After taking photos for evidence and then taking down the nets, the police escorted the poachers to the local police station for questioning. I don’t know what the outcome will be but being in possession of a bird of prey, a state protected species, is a serious offence.

And so, after several days of battling these poachers, it was gratifying to finally catch them. I cannot praise the Shunyi State Forestry Police high enough. They responded quickly, with enthusiasm, and effectively apprehended the poachers. I am sure these guys will refrain from trapping wild birds for the foreseeable future.. and I hope their arrest will act as a deterrent for others, too.

The Beijing State Forestry Police apprehending one of the poachers.Beijing police taking down the illegal mist nets.

That’s great Terry and it is good to read that police is taking action. Hope other Asian countries will start following this example! Do take care of yourself; you can easily become somewhat of a celebrity among the Beijing bird catchers.

A job well done, Terry. You are a true savior for the migrants. I can imagine how much damage it would have been if you haven’t noticed the mist nets and more importantly followed through. I believe the Forestry department is very effective in most of the places, as i had a similar incident in 2012 and the police arrived in no time. I know this Bird trade is a huge network and certainly you have caught the attention, be careful and your safety is also important.

Thanks Dev. We can only do what we can do! But it’s important to do something rather than nothing. Hopefully the poachers will think twice about catching birds and I hope the word gets around that the police will act if they are found. I will do everything to ensure the area around my apartment block remains poacher-free and a haven for migratory birds. 🙂